Pros: graphics; cars; mods; races; lotsa junk
Cons: a faster engine would have made it better

Gran Turismo (1 and 2) is absolutely the best racing sim to come to the console. Perhaps, it is also the best GT game ever made, and its popularity is oftentimes used in the media when releasing other racing games. As Sony's direct competitor in the market, Sega has tried to beat Gran Turismo before with Tokyo Xtreme Racer idiocy. I call it stupid, and you can read my review on it to understand why. Although Xtreme racer was an innovative game, it was nothing like Gran Turismo. However, Sega's second come back, Sega GT absolutely deserves a direct comparison as it is indeed a worthy game.

Hot Stuff -- Best Intro
Gran Turismo 2 starts with the song 'Loosing My Favorite Game', showing clips and little animations from the first ever GT races. It also includes pieces from the Game itself, totally getting your blood pumped before you jump into the cockpit. Sega GT, on the other hand, throws its hottest race cars at you, showing you its awesome graphics. No video clips or cool soundtrack, so it is a bit of a turn off. Intro is probably the most unimportant part of a racing game, but I just love GT2 introduction:)

Even Hotter Stuff -- the Cars
GT2 is unbeatable in terms of numbers. The first one had about 100 cars, and the second multiplied that number by 6. Yes, close to 600 different cars are available in GT2, starting from the British Mini going all the day to vintage Dodge Charger. But, other than the 5 minute ROFL effect, how does Beetle or Mini perform in a racing game? What is the point of all these cars? Sure, race cars and cool rally vehicles like the Subaru Imprezza absolutely rule, but how long are you going to play driving a Van? Sega GT has a few stupid cars in its lowest class, but most available cars are cars that you will buy and actually drive. Not too many junks here, but in terms of numbers its not even 1/5th of everything available for Gran Turismo. So, in this category too, Gran Turismo wins, but not by much really.

Burning Stuff -- Graphics
GT2 graphics were ok at best, although very good for the PSX. However, some of the race tracks looked grainy at best, and those pixels were too ugly. You could see a snake dance back and forth if you looked at the road directly in front of you. However, everything did run smooth and fast, which is a cool thing for a racing game. Sega GT, on the other hand, is absolutely a gorgeous game. It can even go head to head with PC racers in terms of how sweet those cars look. So, in this category, Sega GT beats Gran Turismo.

Tracks
There are a lot of tracks in Sega GT, although I am not too sure how many its nowhere near the number of tracks in Gran Turismo. And its all asphalt, while GT2 gave you dirt tracks to rally on. Sega GT also gets beat in this category.


Realism
GT2's realism factor made most RWD cars impossible to drive for amateur players. It was closest to real racing you ever get. Sega GT is also quite realistic, but unfortunately there is some sort of arcade quality to the game. Its not so easy to oversteer in a Mustang Cobra-R and start spinning like a maniac. On GT2, however, doing 360's were impossible to avoid if you took a turn too fast, or didn't hit the breaks on time. However, I can't seriously say that GT2 wins anything in this category. Perhaps it was too real for some people, or just too hard to master? This I leave to your taste. GT2 = more real and harder. Sega GT = also real, but more arcadish.

Game Options and Car Modifications
Sega GT has copied almost everything from GT2, but it also added some stuff. The biggest problem with GT2 was the lack of a good manual. In game help was also pathetic. Sega GT manual has almost nothing in terms of car mods, but there is a decent help screen that tells you what is what. The best thing about Sega GT is also the ability to become a test driver for car companies, and to acquire sponsors. All this insanity does make an interesting game, and it becomes very easy to get going on Sega GT. In GT2, it was pretty hard to get any cash in the beginning of the game. I bought a Viper within first hour of playing Sega GT. Is this a good thing? I don't know, depends on how you look at it. Nevertheless, in terms of game options and car mods, both games are also equal.

Final Verdict
Gran Turismo was a much bigger game, and Sega GT did copy its many aspects. Graphics is the only major aspect in which GT2 is beaten by Sega GT. And yes, when GT2k comes out, I bet you my pre-ordered PSX2 that it will swipe Sega GT away with one stroke.